The originally tense and dangerous atmosphere became… even more tense due to the sudden attack by the Galarian Moltres.
"Miss Sheena, I didn't expect that you couldn't even get rid of these small fry. I must have overestimated you… and the power of Aura?"
"So, tell me, someone as weak as you—weren't it better to just hand over the Jewel of Life to me yesterday?"
Lucas lazily toyed with a miniaturized Poké Ball between his fingers. His gaze casually swept over the nervous Team Galactic members ahead, then drifted to Sheena at the side. With a faint laugh, he said calmly.
Sure enough, Legendary's would not intervene in internal human conflicts.
Lucas settled on this conclusion in his heart, because Sheena and Kevin had already proven it to him.
With her aura powers, Sheena could communicate with Dialga and even ask it to rescue humans from natural disasters.
But when it came to human conflicts and wars, the legends wouldn't step in!
This had always been the case throughout the long years—unless the legendary Pokémon had already become a human's partner.
The only exception in history was the guardian deity of the Whirl Islands, Lugia, a hundred years ago. Back then, two nations fought over control of the Whirl Islands, and in fury at the brutal war, Lugia descended from the sky and split the islands into four with a thunderous strike to end the bloodshed.
If I want to see Dialga… I still need this woman.
Lucas's eyes flickered as he thought to himself. Besides the Jewel of Life, he was also here for Dialga!
But now that Cyrus and his people had shown up in force and Dialga still hadn't appeared, it was obvious that Dialga didn't want to get involved.
As the Temporal Pokémon who monitors the flow of time from its own alternate dimension, Dialga wouldn't manifest unless summoned. So, if Lucas wanted to meet it, he could only rely on Sheena—the descendant of Aura users.
"Mr. Lucas, you jest. You should know very well that the Jewel of Life concerns matters of great importance."
Sheena bit her lip and forced a bitter smile, her expression full of sorrow.
Unlike yesterday, she could no longer firmly and confidently refuse Lucas, because reality had smacked her hard in the face.
She couldn't even protect the ancient temple—how could she protect the Jewel of Life?
Hearing this, Kevin and Cynthia finally understood why Sheena had looked so upset yesterday—Lucas had also come for the Jewel of Life.
"Golbat, Air Slash!"
Jupiter's cold voice rang out.
A Golbat flapped its wings hard, sending a fierce wind mixed with slashing air blades surging forward.
"Dark Pulse."
Lucas's eyes gleamed with mockery. This kind of powerless attack—was it supposed to tickle him?
"Screee—!"
The Galarian Moltres let out a piercing cry. Purple-black energy rapidly condensed and fired with a boom.
The Dark Pulse clashed violently with the Air Slash mid-air. But in an instant, the Dark Pulse completely shattered the Air Slash like breaking dry twigs.
Jupiter's pupils shrank—because the Dark Pulse wasn't stopping. It was coming at her fast.
"Golbat!"
Jupiter cried out in alarm. Golbat quickly tried to conjure a green barrier of Protect in front of it.
But the attack came too fast!
BOOM!
A loud explosion rang out, and the shockwave blasted Jupiter's entire body backward like a rag doll.
"Damn it! How can it be this strong?!"
She crashed heavily to the ground. When she raised her head again, Golbat was already unconscious and had lost the ability to fight.
Tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed lightly.
"So weak. Small fry who is only at this level. Who gave you the confidence to attack me?"
Lucas strolled over and stopped in front of Jupiter, a smirk curling at his lips as he looked down on her.
His tone was filled with disdain, his posture arrogant. It made Jupiter's twisted expression even uglier with humiliation and rage.
She was a high-ranking officer of Team Galactic! And this man? He just kept calling her a small fry—what the hell was his deal?
"Don't get too cocky! The boss will be out soon! None of you will be able to escape!"
Jupiter screeched in anger, her shrill voice grating.
"A small fry's boss is just a slightly bigger piece of trash. And you're actually proud of that?"
Lucas sneered. Cyrus? That kind of failure wasn't even as good as the current Cynthia in his eyes.
He really had no respect for Cyrus.
"You—!"
Hearing Lucas insult her revered boss like that, Jupiter's face contorted even further. The rage burned so strongly that the blood vessels in her eyes bulged, making her look downright terrifying.
But Lucas paid her no further attention. Just a defeated, powerless mutt—not worth his time.
"..."
Cynthia frowned slightly, watching Lucas without speaking.
She had seen the whole thing. Sure, Team Galactic weren't good people by any means, but… this "Lucas" didn't seem like a good person either?
By all logic, Lucas should be on their side right now, but she couldn't help harboring this uneasy thought.
"He's being way too arrogant…" Marnie muttered, her eyelids twitching nonstop.
Yeah, if this were a novel or a drama, someone as overbearing and arrogant as Lucas would be your classic villain template—he wouldn't even survive three episodes.
Still, Marnie composed herself, her delicate face regaining calm.
After all, she was already on this pirate ship. There was no turning back—she'd just follow Lucas down this road to the end.
That said…
"Better be careful."
Without drawing attention, Marnie subtly moved a little farther from Cynthia and Caitlin. She needed to maintain some distance.
Lucas might not fear Cynthia, but she absolutely wasn't a match for the Sinnoh Champion. If things suddenly went south, she'd rather not be the soft target.
Yep. Smart move, me!
-----------------------------------------------
At that moment, Cyrus had also arrived at the underground chamber, guided by the directions Sheena had given earlier.
"The Jewel of Life!"
He removed the bud-like ornament, pressed it gently, and watched as it opened like a blooming flower—revealing the crystal orb hidden inside.
As Cyrus gazed upon the orb, which shimmered with a mysterious glow, even someone as stoic as he couldn't hide a flicker of joy in his eyes.
So, the temple guardian hadn't lied to him. Well, of course she wouldn't dare to.
The Jewel of Life—he had obtained it!
"Let's go."
But Cyrus wasn't just anybody. He quickly regained his composure and said calmly.
They had the orb. It was time to leave.
If the Sinnoh League caught up now, things would get ugly.
They had to move quickly.
Cyrus, accompanied by Mars and the others, exited the underground chamber, preparing to leave Michina and return to their base.
But just as they emerged—
"Oh, you came out. We've been waiting a while."
Lucas turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps and smiled warmly as he saw Cyrus and the others emerging from the ancient shrine.
Indeed, they had waited a bit. Since the temple was large, they had decided to guard the only exit—its main door.
Sheena had clearly stated: the ancient temple had only one exit.
Cyrus: "…"
Mars and the others: "…"
At the moment, Jupiter and several other Team Galactic members were all tied up nearby, half-dead.
"I didn't expect the Sinnoh Champion to show up here," Cyrus said coolly, scanning the situation and settling his gaze on Cynthia.
At least on the surface, Cyrus remained calm and composed, appearing as collected as ever.
But inside, he knew things had taken a turn for the worse.
After all, the name "Sinnoh Champion" wasn't just for show—this was the person who stood at the very top of the Sinnoh region.
"Cyrus, leader of Team Galactic. Return the Jewel of Life, and your crimes may be given leniency."
Cynthia's beautiful face was composed, her tone resolute. The attack on the Michina ruins by Team Galactic was a serious matter.
If they let Team Galactic escape today, the Sinnoh League's reputation would suffer a major blow.
And the people of Sinnoh would lose faith in the League.
"You've got quite the nerve for someone so young. Boss, let us handle this."
Before Cyrus could respond, Mars sneered at Cynthia, then whispered to him.
Cynthia might be here, but from the looks of it, no League enforcement officers had arrived yet.
They already had the Jewel of Life. As long as Cyrus got away with it, this mission would be a success.
As for the rest of them?
Worst case, they'd get arrested and spend some time in prison.
There was no death penalty in this world, and the League's law prioritized life above all else. Even League officers couldn't kill unless it was a life-or-death situation.
So, Mars wasn't afraid of Cynthia. Without hesitation, he prepared to stay behind and cover Cyrus' retreat.
And who knows? Maybe with the chaos, he might even escape too.
"I'll leave it to you," Cyrus nodded, understanding the importance of the situation.
"Purugly! Bronzor!"
Mars tossed two Poké Balls, summoning a fat-bodied Purugly and a disc-like Bronzor.
Other Team Galactic members quickly followed suit, throwing out their own Pokémon.
In the blink of an eye, a crowd of fierce Pokémon stood before Cynthia and the others, glaring menacingly.
Even without judging their strength, the sheer intimidation made Sheena and Kevin's faces go pale.
But Cynthia, Caitlin, and Marnie? Their expressions remained completely calm.
"Just a bunch of trash," Lucas muttered, glancing at the Pokémon.
He curled his lips in disdain.
They were nothing more than small fry—completely unworthy.
Lucas lost interest and turned his gaze toward Cyrus. This man was the only one here who even remotely looked like a proper villain.
"Soar through the skies—Garchomp!"
Cynthia's face was calm, her presence sharp as a blade. She tossed her Poké Ball high.
"Roarr—"
A low, draconic roar rang out.
A powerful dragon landed heavily in front of Cynthia.
Its deep blue body was shaped like a shark, standing upright on two legs. Its sharp teeth and claws gleamed with menace.
Dominating and fierce—this was her ace, Garchomp!
(End of Chapter)